Spotshank

Here's a video of the adult winter Spotted Redshank at Chevington this afternoon, the first time I've seen a winter-plumage bird in Northumberland...

Fall!

A couple of hours of easterlies last night was enough persuasion for me and my Dad to go to Holy Island today.

Before we even stopped the car we saw bushes full of thrushes. Sure enough there were hundreds of thrushes flying over and feeding on berries. It was an impressive spectacle with flocks of over a hundred Redwings and Fieldfares frequently heading west. Among these we managed to find 4 Ring Ouzels.

In the village my Dad spotted a Black Redstart in the back of the Captain's Garden, which disappeared not long after it appeared. In the afternoon we had another look in the village and there were 2 Yellow-browed Warblers and a Siberian Chiffchaff. Here's the counts...

3000+ Redwing
1500+ Fieldfare
250+ Blackbird
50+ Song Thrush
4 Ring Ouzel
5 Woodcock
11 Brambling
4 Blackcap
3 Chiffchaff
1 Siberian Chiffchaff
1 Black Redstart
1 Merlin
40 Twite
2 Yellow-browed Warbler
5 Little Egret
3 Black-tailed Godwit

Siberian Chiffchaff

Fieldfares

Brambling

OBP

After the Torness Booted Warbler disappeared, we decided instead to go and have a look for the Olive-backed Pipit in Sunderland. It turned out this was a great decision, as the Olive-backed Pipit showed brilliantly while we were there, at times down to just 5 metres away. It was a great looking bird as well, and one I've always hoped to see.

A sandy Siberian Lesser Whitethroat was also just across the road, which my Dad heard call like a Great Tit. I didn't spend very long with this bird so my photos of it aren't great. Quite a few Redwings flew over throughout the day.

Olive-backed Pipit

Siberian Lesser Whitethroat record shot

Late Night Lark

Yesterday evening we decided to go and see if we could find the Shore Lark at Chevington, after it had been re-found just after we got home. Once we reached the burn mouth I searched north, and my Dad searched the beach to the south. Eventually the Shore Lark flew past me and landed on the beach to the south. I waved my Dad over and the bird continued to give us some great views just north of the burn mouth. There was just enough light left to get a few record shots.

At Beacon Hill afterwards we saw the ISS again, a Tawny Owl flew in front of the car and a few Common Pipistrelles and a Noctule were heard over the bat detector.

Shore Lark

Yellow-browed

A Yellow-browed Warbler behind the hide at Cresswell this morning was the highlight of a look around the bay. It showed really well at times and was also quite vocal. A Jay was 'in off' at Druridge Pools along with a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Yellow-browed Warbler